Automobile front axle.



C. LAGERGREN.

AUTGMOBILE FRONT AXLE.

APPLIOATION FILED rn.za,1912.

Patented June 10, 1913.

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0.1.AGBRGREN- AUTOMOBILE FRONT AXLE.

. APPLICATION FILED FEB.23, 1912.

Patented June 10, 1913.

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CARL LAGERGREN, OF OSTERVILLE, MASSGHUSE'I'TS.,-

AUTOMOBILE FRONT AXLE.

Losanna.

vSpecification. of Letters Patent.

Application led February 23, 1912.

Patented J une i9, 191 3. Serial No. 679,325.

terville, in the county of Barnstable and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Automobile Front Axles, of whichthe following is a speciiication.

i The primary urpose of this invention is the provision oi) av frontaxle for automobiles, although it may be advantageously applied to the'axle of any vehicle provided with steering wheels, since the nature ofthe invention is to facilitate the turning of the steering wheels and toguard against the side thrust and to insure the'wheels tracking in astraight line.

The primary purpose of the invention is to mount the steering wheel upont-he axle in such a manner as to have the axis about which the wheelturns when swung from right to left about or in the plane of the centerof the wheel or in vertical line with the point .of contact of the wheelwith the ground or supporting surface, thereby enablng the steering ofthe wheel to be accomplished with the expenditureof a minimum amount offorce while at the same time overcoming the tendency to side stress and.enabling the wheel to follow in a straight line when the vehicle is inmotion.

The invention consists ofthe novel features, details of construction and.combination of parts, which hereinafter will be more particularly setIforth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in theappended claims.

Referring to the drawings, forming a part of the specification, Figure lis a top plan view of an end portion of a front axle and the hub of asteering wheel embodying the invention. Fig.. 2 is a front view of theparts illustrated in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line-m of Fig. 2, showing the parts on a larger scale. Fig. 4

, is a vertical section on the line g/-g/ of Fig.

3. Fig. 5 is a section on the line e-a of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a front viewof the wheel bearing. Fig. 7 is a modification. Fig. 8 is a furthermodification. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the plug for closing thevopening in'tlie 'wheel bearing through which the pivot stud is passed.Fig. l0 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the axle. i

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription, and indicated in all the views of the drawings, by the samereference characters. i

The axle is indicated at l and may be of any type, either straight ordrop according to the nature of the vehicle for which designed. Each endof the axle terminates in a sleeve a in which the opening b extendsvertically and is internallyv threaded. The sides of the axle near thesleeve are contracted, as indicated at l, to provide ample clearance forthe wheel bearing 2 which isk mounted on the end of the axle so as toturn about a vertical axis which coincides with the center lof theopening The wheel bearing 2 is hollow and titsl upon cthe extremity ofthe axle. The opening 2 formed in the inner end of the wheel bearing 2is horizontally elongated to admit of angular turning of the wheel forpurposes of steering. The outer portion of the Wheel bearing is reducedto provide an eX- tension c which is threadedl to receive a nut l1. Apivot stud 6 is itted into the opening Z) and its ends are formed withrounded depressions d in which are fitted balls 5. The pivot stud 6 isthreaded into the opening b to prevent vertical movement and to allow ofadjustment. The wheel bearing 2 has a rounded depression c to receivethe .lower ball 5 and has an opening e at a point diametrically oppositethe depression e to receive a plug 13 in which isnformed a roundeddepression f to receive the upper ball 5.

lVhen assembling the parts the wheel bearing`2 is slipped upon the endof the axle, with the 'depression e and opening c thereof in line withthe opening 7) of the axle, after which the lower ball 5, pivot stud 6and upper ball. 5 areplaced in position, after which the plug 15 isscrewed into the opening c aiid adj usted. to prevent undue play of theupper ball 5, thereby locking the wheel bearing to the axle. The lowerball 5 sustains the load, lience'thc necessity for lixing the positionof the pivot stud 6 against vertical movement. -The pivot stud isthreaded and has a head notched in its sides, at 6a, to receive a toolto admit of turning and to receive a lock screw 6" to secure the pivotstud in the adjusted position. The plug 13 has a projection 13a in whichare formed intersecting grooves to receive a lock pin 13b to secure theplug in the adjusted position. A .band Gr encireles the wheel bearingand is threaded thereto, at g, and serves to retain a size andconstruction adapted to the particular use and location for whichdesigned. The outer anti-friction bearing comprises y Arings 7 and 9with interposed anti-friction lris devices 8 and is mounted upon theextension c, being retained in place by means of a washer 10 and theviut 11. qThis outer antifriction bearing also serves to hold the Wheelupon the wheel bearing 2, since it engages an inner shoulder 3 of thehub 3. A hub cap 12 threaded upon the outer end of the hub 3 inclosesthe nut 11 and the outer anti-friction bearing. The inner anti-frictionbearing comprises rings 16 and 18 with interposed anti-friction devices17 and is mounted upon the inner portion of the wheel bear-` ing 2 andengages a shoulder 2c thereof and prevents inward movement of the hub 3.A

cap ring 14 threaded upon the inner end of the hub 3 retains the inneranti-friction bearing in place. A felt washer 15 interposed betweenl thevertical flange of the retaining cap rin 14 and the adjacent end of theinner antirict-ion bearing prevents the escape of oil and excludes dust.

It will be observed that the balls 5 serve to lock the wheel bearingupon the axle as well as to form pivot points for said wheel4 bearing toturn upon when moving the wheel laterally to guide the vehicle either tothe right or to the left. It is furt-her noted that the balls 5 are inthe plane of the `wheel and about in line with the point of `contactbetween tlie vwheel and the ground or supporting surface, hence but verylittle force is required to be expended for turningthe wheel either tothe right or to the left when steering the machine. .The tendency ofside.

stress is likewise reduced to the smallest amount because of thecentralization of the steering axis of the wheel. The term steering axisis used to designate the vertical line about which the wheel turns-whenmoved to i the right or to the left for directing` the vehicle in thedesired course of travel.

1n the modification shown in Fig. 8 the wheel bearing has an axleopening 21 which is formed in the extension c and leads into the space2a. This opening admits of lubricant being forced to the pivotconnections between the wheel bearing and axle, .tlie hub The wheelbearing isV cap 12 being used as means for compressing the lubricant soas to force'the same through the opening 21 and also to the outerantifriction bearing. Dust and other foreign matter is excluded from thepivot connections between tli'e wheel bearing andaxle by means of ,aguard, the latter also serving to prevent the waste of lubricant. Theguard comprises a pair of plates 22 and 23. The plates 22 Aare securedto the wheel bearing and the plates '23 are made fast to the sides ofthe axle. The two plates of each pair are curved concentric with thepivot stud 6 and overlap. thereby maintaining a close fit at allpositions of the wheel.

Vhile it is preferred to have the axis of the pivotI `connectionsbetween the wheel bearing and axle arranged vertically, nevery thelessit has been found that under some conditions it is advantageous to havethe axis inclined to the vertical, but in a plane parallel with theplane of the wheel. This arrangement is indicated in Fig. 7. 1t has beenfound that by having the axis inclined to the vertical the wheel is moreti-actable, particularly when making curves and also to cause the wheelto run in a straight line without any tendency to sweive either to theright or to the left.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying 'drawings, the advantages of the construction and of themethod of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the artto which the invention appertains, and while I have described theprinciple of operation of the invention, together with the device whichI now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have itunderstood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that suchchanges may be made when esired as are within thescope of the claimsappended hereto.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is:-

1. In combination an axle, a wheel bearing mounted upon the axle andadapted to` turn to the right or left,a ball above and a ball below theaxle in line with the steering axis and forming interlocking meansbetween the axle and wheel bearing.

2. In combination an axle having a vertical opening near its outer end,a wheel bearing mounted upon the axle to turn laterally thereon about avertical axis,` said wheel bearing 'having a depression and an openingat diametrically opposite points and arranged in line with the verticalopening of the axle, pivot connecting means let into the verticalopening of the axle and projecting to engage the wheel bearing, and aplug threaded into the opening of the wheel bearing and engaging thepivot connecting means between the wheel bearing and axle.

3. In combination an axle having a vertical opening near its end, awheel bearing mounted upon the axle and having a depression and threadedopening at diametrically opposite points in line with the verticalopening of the axle, a stud let into the vertical opening of the axleand having depressions in its ends, balls seated in the depressions inthe ends of the stud and pro jecting beyond the sides of the axle, thelower` ball entering the depression of the wheel bearing, and a plugthreaded into the opening of the wheel bearing and having a depressionto receive the projecting portion of the upper ball.

4. ln combination an axle having a vertical opening near its end, awheel bearing mounted upon the axle and having a depression in the upperside of its lower portion, and an opening in its upper portion, saiddepression and opening being in line with the vertical opening of theaxle, a pivot stud adjustable in the vertical opening of the axle, meansfor securing said pivot stud to the axle in the adjustedposition, a ballconiined between the lower end of the pivot stud and the depression ofthe wheel bearing, a second ball mounted upon the pivot stud, and a plugtted in the opening in the 'upper portion of the wheel bearing andconfining sai-d second ball upon the pivot stud.

5. In combination an axle having a vertical opening near its end, awheel bearing having an opening and a depression in its upper and lowerportions in line with the vertical opening of the axle, a pivot studthreadedin the vertical opening of the axle, means for securing thepivot stu'd in an adjusted position, a ball confined between the lowerend of the pivot stud and the` depression formed in the lower portion ofthe wheel bearing, a plug threaded into the opening in the upper portionof the wheel bearing, a second ball oonined between said plug and theupper end of said pivot stud, and means for securing the plug intheadjusted position.

In testimony whereof I aix niv-signature in presence of two witnesses.

CARL LAGERGREN.

Witnesses V. B. HILLYARD, BENNETT S. JONES.

